


Seven Days with my Toes in the Sand

by erney007



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben POV, CPR, Comfort Sex, F/M, He loves his late wife, Mentions of Cancer, New Relationship, Padme is his daughter, Rey Kenobi, Rey POV, Slow burn within seven days, When Reylo meets Nicholas Sparks, Widower Ben Solo, beach resort, single daddy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-01-24 09:44:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18568831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erney007/pseuds/erney007
Summary: Memory in his dream, emptiness in his hand, with his toes in the sand. Will she be the one who show him how to love again?





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elemie89](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elemie89/gifts).



> Prompt: single dad Ben spends the week on the beach at the same resort he spent his honeymoon on the anniversary of his wife’s death. He meets Rey and learns to love again. Think Reylo meets Nicholas Sparks. If this gets sorted to a Dadam, I will be offended if they do not include some allusion to a daddy kink.
> 
> Dear Em, the incredible writer I admire so much. When I read the prompt that said 'Nicholas Sparks' I was like 'Oh dear', I'll try my best. (;w;)b

 

 

_ “I miss it,” she said, thumb tracing along the picture frame in her hand, “How good it is to feel the wind blowing around us. The summer breeze of the ocean and the sand between our toes.” _

 

_ “We can go there again whenever you want,” He replied. _

 

_ “We will,” she smiled at the little baby girl in his arms, “When she is old enough, let’s go together.” _

  
  
  


 

“Daddy, look!” Padme shouted, dancing on her toes, pointing out of the large window of their villa, “The ocean is everywhere! The water is so clear! Daddy! Please, can I go swimming?”

 

“Not today, sweetheart, it’s going to get dark soon,” Ben smiled wearily at his daughter.

 

It’s had been a long trip from Portland, Oregon, to Chandrila, a small island in the Indian Ocean. A slight delay of their flight had caused them to miss their ferry, and had to wait for another one, which happened to have some kind of engine problem - so it practically took a whole day for them to reach their destination.

 

Ben had booked a bungalow on the beach, but the door lock was broken and the bathroom was in need of repair. So, the resort upgraded his room to an overwater villa suite, with direct ocean access and an outdoor terrace, much to Padme’s excitement.

 

The girl looked out the window at the stunning, beautiful sunset view, before turning back to her father, “Shall we order something to eat here? Daddy, you look tired.”

 

So much consideration for a girl of eight years old, Padme must had noticed the dark rings under his eyes and the weary look on his face. Ben had to clear all of his work before taking his vacation this week, and it was quite a long journey that had them both tired.

 

“Good idea,” he patted his daughter gently on her braided, soft brown hair, “Go to bed early today, and we will play tomorrow, okay?”

 

 

* * *

 

Despite his weariness, Ben still couldn’t sleep.

 

The resort had a rule: no swimming at night, but walking along the beach was acceptable. Putting on his shirt and cargo pants, Ben snuck out of his room, walking barefoot along the wooden bridge connecting the group of overwater villas to the beach.

 

The sand was white, delicate, and soft. The wave of salt water that rushed against him had his feet sinking further into the sand if he stood still for a moment. The wind blew slowly, carrying the ocean breeze to the beach. Ben took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

 

Ten years ago, in his hand would be a soft, delicate hand, lacing her fingers with his.

 

Ben rubbed his thumb on the wedding band on his left ring finger, a plain silver ring made of platinum. The weight of it had him think of its pair, which he had put it on the finger of the woman who had become his wife, Kira.

 

The night of their honeymoon, he had her here - exactly on this island, walking hand in hand along the beach. Her sundress fluttered with the night summer breeze, she was smiling and laughing when her toes sank into the sand. The sound of the ocean waves were calming, just like this night, when the world seemed to stop spinning with them dancing slowly under the starry sky.

 

_ Wishing you were here again. With me. _

 

Ben still remembered the sparkle in her eyes when Kira looked up at him, her petite frame pressed against his body, warm and soft in his arms. Their lips met, and that was the sweetest moment that had ever happened in his life, second only to the first time he saw her holding their baby girl in her arms.

 

It was a dream, one that he would never want to wake up from.

 

The tide was raising. Ben sighed, deciding it was time to return to his villa. He had left Padme alone for too long, even though she was sleeping soundly in her bed. This trip was for her, not him, and Ben must somehow lift his spirits for the following day, so that he could enjoy the vacation with his daughter.

 

Just before turning on his heels, Ben spotted a mysterious shadow on the white sand beach not far away from where he was standing.

 

The colorful clothes were floating up and down with each wave of water, hovering around an object that resembled the shape of a human.

 

_ A woman? _

 

Faster than his own thoughts, Ben strode, almost running, to where the water nearly engulfed the woman who was lying there. It looked like she was unconscious, because she didn’t even move a bit, even though he was shouting at her.

 

Her eyes were closed, her dark hair spanning her head like a halo when he reached her. Ben dragged her up the beach from where she was lying, squatting down to shake her shoulders, “Miss! Can you hear me? Wake up!” 

 

Ben was well aware of the possibility that this woman might be injured, even though there was no bruises or blood on her skin. He pressed his fingers to her neck, where her pulse might be, and there it was, sturdy and strong.

 

It was quite dark to see anything clearly, so Ben hovered his hand above her parted lips, feeling her warm breath against his skin. She was breathing, alive, but unconscious. Her soaked rainbow sundress coated her slim body, which was starting to tremble as the cold wind blew against her.

 

When he was about to call for an ambulance or resort security, she sneezed.

 

“Oh!” His attention was back on her, “Hey! Can you hear me?”

 

Her eyes opened, revealing the brightest eyes he had ever seen.

 

And she screamed.

 

“Oh God!” A slap right on his cheek had him seeing stars, “Miss! I just saved you from drowning!”

 

“You bastard!” She, the mysterious woman he  _ just met _ , slapped him with a surprising strength that had him falling backwards, “How dare you?!”

 

Ben had never been so confused, this woman was much smaller than him, yet she jumped at him like a feral animal, clawing at his face. He tried to grab her wrists to halt her assault. She was straddling him, cursing and shouting at him, like he was her mortal enemy.

 

When he finally caught her wrists, Ben smelled a familiar scent of alcohol - she reeked of it. Her chest was heaving, her hair messy, and tears were falling down her cheeks.

 

“You…” she sobbed, “...berk.”

 

Then she fell on top of him, boneless.

 

This was even more confusing - she was not injured, confirmed by how she was able to push a man of his size on his back. Ben blinked as he heard a soft snore from the woman who was nuzzling on his chest.

 

She was drunk, totally drunk.

 

_ But who is she? Where did she come from? _ Obviously she wasn’t a local, her English had a unique accent,  _ British? _ He wasn’t sure. One thing he knew was that she needed someone to look after her tonight.

 

‘ _ Just tonight. _ ’ Ben thought to himself as he got up, scooping her in his arms, and walked back to his room.

 

* * *


	2. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey woke up with a hangover. Yes, daddy is here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Em, I'm glad that you like it, I'll do my best.  
> Dear readers, thank you for every comments and kudos.  
> Thank you again to my lovely beta.

 

 

_ “I can’t believe you are cheating on me!” _

 

_ “You are making everything intolerable. Quit being childish and live in the real world for now.” _

 

_ “How dare you talk to me like this!” _

 

_ “You are suffocating me. I’m not a good man, not good enough for you.” _

 

_ “You are, but you didn’t even try.” _

 

_ “Stop thinking that I am what I am not. The man of your dreams is only living in your garbage novels!” _

  
  


Arsehole.

 

Why did it always end up like this?

 

Rey turned in her sleep, tears rolling from the corners of her eyes. Who was that? Mark? Harry? Thomas? Whoever it was, they all ended the same.

 

_ ‘You are unbearable.‘ _ That was what she had been told every time they broke up with her.  _ Overly attached _ was another word they used to describe her. What’s wrong with calling your boyfriend when you have a dreadful nightmare and can’t go back to sleep because you were so scared?

 

Good men did exist, but where were they? Why did she always end up with a boyfriend that was ready to discard her once their love turned cold.

 

Her head was pounding. Rey groaned - she hadn’t drunk that much in ages. Her nose crunched up as she blinked her eyes open to meet a round face with a pair of bright hazel eyes looking at her.

 

“Daddy! She’s up!” A girl jumped from where she had been crouched beside the bed and run from Rey’s sight.

 

She was in a bed. Rey blinked again, noticing that she was in a room, a bedroom, with the sound of the ocean outside the window and the sun shining bright in the sky.

 

There was a series of soft thuds as someone walked into the room. Rey tried to prop herself up on her elbows, but a sharp, shooting pain in her head had her falling back on the pillow with her hand crushing against her forehead.

 

When she opened her eyes again, there was a man standing beside her bed with a mug of something steaming hot in his large hand.

 

_ Quite a big man _ .

 

“Hey,” he said, “Are you feeling better?”

 

Compared to having her heart split open after catching her boyfriend making out with another girl on _her_ _own_ couch, she felt much better now.

 

“Where am I?” She asked.

 

“Chandrila,” he answered.

 

“Our room!” A little girl peeked out from behind the man and jumped on her bed, “It’s late. Get up! Let’s play at the beach today.”

 

The sudden shaking of the bed springs had her head throbbing like there was someone using a hammer on it, and Rey groaned loudly.

 

“Sweetheart, why don’t you go brush your teeth first?” The man -  _ her father? _ \- smiled softly as he spoke, “You haven’t brushed your teeth yet this morning.”

 

“But, daddy...”

 

“It’s good for your gums and teeth, and your smile, Princess,” he reasoned with her.

 

“Okay.” The little girl gave Rey a shy smile before padding to the bathroom.

 

There was an awkward silence between the two of them as she tried to put the fragments of her memory together.  _ Chandrila _ , an island famous for its natural environment, including the blue ocean, beautiful white beach, and clean air.  _ You should take a break. _ That was what everybody said.

 

She had arrived yesterday, oh right, with packs of Kleenex stuffed in her purse. She was still crying over how her love life had become so messed up.  _ What was her room number? _

 

Oh, there was a beachside night club, where people danced to slow Latin jazz. She was drinking… whatever it was, and there was a guy,  _ guys _ , who obviously were hitting on her. But yeah, they sucked, like that bloody boyfriend who dumped her.

 

The nightclub wasn’t fun anymore, so she went back to her room, she was walking… walking...

 

And that was where she totally blanked out.

 

“I found you on the beach last night.” An answer came to her ears, along with a mug handed to her.

 

“What is it?”  _ Oh God, she couldn’t decide what was worse, the headache or nausea. _

 

“Ginger tea,” His soft, deep,  _ tender _ voice seemed to somehow comfort her, “It really helps, take it.”

 

Rey couldn’t help feeling skeptical about this man, but her hangover was killing her, so she took the mug and took a sip.  _ Oh, it’s nice. _

 

“Just to be clear, I  _ helped _ you,” he said, waving his hands, “You were nearly drowning when I found you. There was a key in the pocket of your dress, so I took you to your villa. But you threw up all over the place, and it might have been too cruel to call the housemaid to clean your room at two am - so I brought you here. My apologies, I had to take off your dress, and there was no ulterior motives at all.”

 

Then, she realized that she was in a bathrobe, she wore no bra, and… oh, she still had her panties on.

 

“God, I’m a mess.” Rey groaned, her face flushed hot with shame, “Did I… oh dear, did I sleep in your bed last night?”

 

“Technically, yes,” he cocked his head, “But I slept on the outdoor couch. So no, we didn’t share a bed last night.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” She had caused him a lot of trouble, a stranger whose name she didn’t even know, “I just broke up with my boyfriend, he cheated on me, and they told me it’s a good idea to take a break, so I came here and…”

 

She was babbling nonsensically, and she felt pathetic. Rey hated herself even more for it. Did every woman become like this when they were dumped? It hurt so much she hadn’t been herself for weeks, she couldn’t think straight, she couldn’t work, her world had crumbled, and she became a mess under its ruin.

 

But the man replied with a smile. “Ben Solo,” he reached out a hand to her.

 

She hesitated, but eventually took his hand before answering, “Rey… Rey Kenobi.” His hand was massive, like the rest of him that she had seen so far, it almost engulfed her hand entirely when he squeezed her hand gently.

 

“We are on our vacation here,” Ben said, “If you don’t have any plans, I don’t mind if you want to join us. My daughter, Padme, would love to have someone she can play with. It’s just the beginning of the season, so there aren’t many kids around here yet.”

 

A father and a daughter, with a wedding ring on his finger, “Thank you, but is your wife okay with this? I mean, I’m a stranger.”

 

“She isn’t here.”

 

The look on his face gave her the answer, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

 

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

 

“Daddy! I finished.” The girl, Padme, danced back to her father, “Let’s go to the beach, please! You promised me yesterday.”

 

“Alright, let’s go.” He smiled gently at her.

 

“Will you come, too?” She turned to Rey, her dark, wavy hair fluttered with the movement, “By the way, I’m Padme. Nice to meet you.”

 

“Hi, I’m Rey.” She gave her a faint smile, “I would love to join you, my dear. But I really feel bad today.”

 

“Aw, that’s too bad,” Padme said sadly, “Take a good nap, it helps!”

 

“Can I go back to my room?” She looked up at Ben.

 

“Sure,” he nodded, “Let me help you.”

 

The floor was unsteady under her feet, and her knees wobbled as she get up from the bed. Ben caught her by her elbow, guiding her to the front door.

 

“Don’t forget to brush your teeth!” Padme reminded her.

 

 

* * *

 

Her room was tidied up, but it still smelled.

 

“Ew!” She scrunched her nose, “Oh my God, this is awful!”

 

Ben didn’t flinch a bit when he walked across her room to open the glass slide door. “This should help ventilate the room.”

 

“Thank you so much,” she sat on her newly changed bed sheets, “Yesterday must have been worse. How could you put up with me?”

 

He turned to her, encouraging her with a smile that somehow made her eyes prick with tears, “I have a child, you know? Kids throw up all the time growing up. Don’t mention it.”

 

Her friends, including her ex-boyfriends, would probably have grumbled about it non-stop. Rey never had a close encounter with a man who was a real father before. Ben had a warm feeling about him, a feeling that made her want to curl towards him, nuzzling and purring, maybe. He was massive, she could see the outline of his muscular body under the cotton t-shirt he wore.

 

“We are going on a dolphin cruise tomorrow,” he said, “As I said before, you can join us if you want to.”

 

“Thank you, I’ll think about it.”

 

“Hey,” he paused for a moment, “Our rooms are not far from each other, if you want any help. Feel free to knock on my door.”

 

_ Any help? _ Her heart sank a little. But well, what was she expecting him to say?

 

“I had your dress send to the laundry, it should be here by this evening,” he said, “I paid for it.”

 

“Oh no, please don’t!” She jumped on her feet, “You have done so much for me already.”

 

“It’s not a big deal,” he shrugged, patting her on the shoulder, “Take a nap, Miss Kenobi, and I hope you feel better soon.”

 

What a gentleman he was. Rey unconsciously obeyed him, sitting back on her bed.

 

“Take a shower when you’re ready, you’ll feel refreshed.”

 

“And don’t forget to brush my teeth?” She joked, “Yes, Daddy. I will.”

 

Something flickered in his eyes when he smiled, “Good,” he said, “Take care.”

 

* * *

 


	3. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day with her drowning.  
> Second day with her being hangover.  
> Now they’re going to have some fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the anonymous is over. Dear Em, this fic is for you! And thank you so much for your beautiful moodboard.  
> I maybe slow on this one because the deadline for RFFA is coming, but I promise I’ll write it to the end.  
> Thank you so much to my beautiful beta @[MyJediLife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyJediLife/pseuds/MyJediLife) She has 17 works already!  
> Enjoy!

 

_ “I saw the clip you sent me. Did she really float?” _

 

_ “Yes, dear. Our girl is a fast learner,” she giggled, “Among the children in the swimming class, she was the first one to hold her breath underwater.” _

 

_ “She really takes after her mother,” Ben smiled, remembering how great his wife was as a swimmer. _

 

_ “And she is brilliant like her father,” Kira replied, “She will definitely love it when we go to the sea.” _

  
  
  


“What is it?”

 

“Oh! It’s so pretty. Where did you find it?”

 

“There, I dove down and found it.”

 

“Isn’t it too far? Your daddy might grumble about it.”

 

“He  _ always _ grumbles about  _ everything _ .”

  
  


They totally forgot about him.

 

Ben lay on the beach chair in the middle of the sand bank, looking at where the new best friends played together on the beach. It was ages since his last trip to the beach, and Ben was sweltering. He was a cardiac surgeon, and his workplace had been always about sixty-five degrees or below. Being out in the sunlight was definitely not his natural habitat. Wearing an open shirt with beach pants didn’t help, either.

 

Kira had loved being outdoors. She had loved the sea under the clear blue sky. She really had been the sunshine of his life. If he hadn’t known her, he might be stuck in an icy, cold room for the rest of his life.

 

Sadly, she didn’t live long enough to be with her daughter on her first trip to the ocean.

 

Padme was four years old when she lost her mother, she cried a lot, and had nightmares for a while. His own mother, Leia, had helped him take care of her during the period of grief. Padme was soon able to move on, and be the one to support him instead.

 

‘ _ You always have me, daddy, _ ’ she told him. Yes. They still had each other, so he had to be strong for her, too.

 

Seeing that his daughter had  _ totally _ left him behind did spark a weird, tickling sense of jealousy. Ben chuckled to himself and shook his head.

 

Girls did have a special way of bonding. It had been only a day, and now they were inseparable. They thought and talked like they shared a brain. 

 

Truth be told, the new best friends had many similarities. Rey had dark brown hair - pretty much like his daughter, and Padme had a pair of dimples when she smiled - like Rey. Not to mention that their personalities were pretty much alike.

 

Padme was in a fruity printed one piece swimming suit. She asked him for a two piece - but no, his daughter wouldn’t wear that  _ under his watch _ , she was too young for that. But Rey did wear a two piece - a bikini to be exact. Her slender body jumped up and down in the ocean as she played with his daughter. The orange color of her bikini went well with her sun-kissed skin. With her hair pulled up into three buns, she looked like a young woman fresh out of high school, rather than a near-thirty year old heartbroken woman who almost drowned herself a day ago.

 

‘ _ I’m not going to be gutted over a moron like him. It has been months, and he’s still happy with that woman. He screwed up my life, and I’m done with it.’  _ She said with a shrug, ‘ _ I better enjoy my time here with you guys.’ _

 

And she did. Rey had  joined them for dinner last night after he went to check if she was still okay. Padme had never had a close encounter with a British person before, so she asked a lot about what she read about in Mary Poppins and Harry Potter, and Rey gladly answered her questions and showed her some pictures of various places in Great Britain.

 

‘ _ Look! Daddy. The 9 ¾ platform! Please, please, please - let’s go to London next summer! _ ’

 

‘ _ Call me when you’re going there. I’ll be glad to be your personal guide.’ _

 

‘ _ Cool! You know what? My grandma Leia turned British everytime she was mad at grandpa Han.’ _

 

Padme never opened up to anyone this fast. It wasn’t like she was opposed to the idea of him dating a woman, in fact, Padme was the one who encouraged him to look for a new relationship. But, he had never met anyone like Rey.

 

“Wow, you look grilled…. I mean literally grilled.” A voice took him out of his reverie.

 

Padme and Rey came under the shade of his beach umbrella, carrying seashells in their hands, soaking wet with white sand everywhere on their body.

 

Ben moved a bit to provide space on the chair for his daughter, but to his surprise, Padme chose to sit with Rey.

 

“I don’t go outdoors a lot,” Ben replied, “I go to work before dawn, and come home after sunset.”

 

“That’s why you are so boring, daddy,” Padme said, hovering over the basket of food they’d ordered for lunch, “Grandma said you should go out with a girl.”

 

He choked out, “Really, little pixie?”

 

“But Daddy has a good voice. He is great when he reads me DuckTales, he is the best Scrooge McDuck!” Padme turned to Rey, “Why don’t you let him read your books out loud to you? I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.”

 

It was Rey’s turn to choke, almost spitting out the coconut juice she just drank, “Yeah, honey. I’ll think about it.”

 

Rey wrote romance novels, that was what she told him. Ben wasn’t into fiction, so he had never heard the name ‘ _ Isobel Ridley _ ’ before. But he did know the Netflix movie that was based on her famous novel - ‘ _ Devil wears Breitling _ ’, his coworkers talked about it all the time.

 

_ ‘You won’t like it,’ Rey told him shyly, ‘I wrote a stereotype of a dreamy hero with an ordinary girl. Nothing interesting.’ _

 

_ ‘Your novel got made into a movie. It’s fantastic.’ _

 

_ ‘Nah. My readers are already bored with my plots.’ _

 

Well. He had no comment, since he had never read any romance novels before. If it wasn’t for his daughter, his collection might not span beyond scientific articles and science fiction.

 

“Why does sand get  everywhere?” Padme said, “I thought I already cleaned my hands, but here it is.”

 

“You might have forgotten to wash the sand from your elbows,” Rey said, picking a small towel from her beach bag, “Come here. Let’s wipe it off so it won’t get in our food.”

 

Being a single father, Ben had been protective of his daughter. He had been skeptical about Rey at first, but her friendship with Padme seemed to be genuine. It would be nice to have some happiness to lift up the mood, and now he felt like he had two daughters.

 

“Pizza!” Padme picked a slice of pizza from the basket, which was probably one that the resort prepared for a family with a child.

 

“Oh! I love pizza!” Rey peeked into the basket, “there’s only one?”

I 

“Really?” Padme halted her first bite, “But it’s just a small slice... well, let’s share then.”

 

“Oh no! No. It’s totally fine, sweetie. Please enjoy it,” Rey smiled, patting the girl’s back, “They gave us a small amount of food because we’re going for a dolphin cruise in the afternoon. It would be a disaster if you had motion sickness while your stomach is full.”

 

“We will have a big dinner when we get back to the island,” Ben said, knowing all too well that his daughter ate a lot.

 

“A pizza dinner?” Padme asked with her eyes sparkling.

 

“I mean an actual dinner,” Ben replied.

 

“An actual pizza dinner?” Rey raised her brow playfully.

 

Ben looked at her. Rey gestured to the girl between them and winked.

 

“Pizza?” Padme’s voice became soft and sweet, “Please, daddy.”

 

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we tried some traditional dishes here?” Ben tried to reason, “You can have whatever pizza you want when we’re home.”

 

“But I miss pizza already,” Padme pled, batting her eyelashes, “Please, just today. Miss Rey, please help me?”

 

Rey giggled before joining her, “Please,  _ daddy? _ ”

 

When they both gave him a pair of puppy dog eyes together, he was beaten. It was hard to deny them anything, almost… no… well...

 

“Alright,” he sighed, “Pizza, just for tonight.”

 

“Yes!” Padme jumped to her feet and flung her arms around Rey’s shoulders, “We’re getting pizza!”

 

“Yeah!” Rey rejoiced with her.

 

And then they started singing along with Queen’s ‘ _ We are the Champions _ ’, alternating the lyrics to ‘ _ We eat the Pizza _ ’.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It had been long time since Ben felt like he was outnumbered, having two little girls leading him around. Now they were on a white boat cruising through the bay, where dolphins were in their natural habitat, enjoying the beauty of the Gulf Coast shoreline view in the afternoon sunset.

 

“I’m beat,” Rey sat beside him on the deck bench, “She is so energetic.”

 

“She is,” Ben smiled. His daughter was now with a sailor who was kindly teaching her how to use his binoculars for sightseeing, “What about you? Enjoying yourself?”

 

“Me? Of course!” Rey lay back on the bench and crossed her legs, revealing a lovely string of freckles travelling along her inner right thigh, “I grew up in Cornwall. So basically, the beach is my home.”

 

“Oh, nice. I grew up in the Midwest, where there is only grassland and hills,” Ben said, “Even though I’m living in Seattle right now, I still don’t have time to go to the beach.”

 

“You hate going outside. I see it. Time to get your skin tanned,” She brushed her finger on his forearm, “But you need to put on the right sunscreen. Global warming is real, and we might be burnt alive someday. I have the perfect sunscreen for this.”

 

“You seem to know all about this pretty well.”

 

“The sea? You bet! Sometimes I have to isolate myself from society to concentrate on writing, and the beach is always the best option,” she smiled, “My old man wanted to come here with me. But he was too old to take the long flight. I’m gonna take a lot of pictures and send them to him.”

 

“Old man?”

 

“My foster father,” Rey replied, “My real parents left me when I was very young. I was in the foster system for awhile before they could find the right family for me.”

 

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s fine.” She waved her hand, “The Kenobis were really nice. I’ve got brothers and sisters. We grew up roaming the coast of Cornwall - on the beaches. That was where I got my inspiration for writing.”

 

The wind blew around them. Rey tugged her hair behind her ear, and Ben couldn’t help admiring the side profile of her.  _ British girl _ . Smooth skin, peppered with light freckles across her lovely nose. Her plump lips curved up into a soft smile, and her loose blouse fluttered along with the wind, and he noticed that her shorts were wrapped perfectly around her curves.

 

“There was a period that I felt so lonely. Like there was no one who really wanted me. My parents threw me away, I know it very well, but I still need them. I’m still looking for them - everywhere,” she continued, “That’s probably the reason why my relationships never last long. My boyfriends -  _ ex-boyfriends _ \- told me that I made them uncomfortable.”

 

“Isn’t that what a relationship is supposed to be? To be supportive of each other?” Ben frowned. He, himself, had never taken it lightly.

 

“They said I have daddy issues, well, possibly.” Rey shrugged, “I used to be more fussy. I’ve been to therapists, and they suggested that writing could help me cope with it. So, I started writing, and it’s worked. It’s gotten better, but yeah, my love life sucks, and I’m still alone.”

 

Without a second thought, Ben reached for her hand and held it, “You are not alone.”

 

There was a callous on the knuckle of one of her fingers, probably caused by years of writing. Rey was surprised by his action. She looked at their joined hands, then slowly looked up to meet his gaze.

 

“I meant it,” Ben repeated himself, “No one is truly alone. You have me and Padme.”

 

Tears pricked in her eyes. Rey took a deep breath and exhaled with a smile, “Thank you. You really know how to make a woman feel better.”

 

“I have a daughter, remember?”

 

“Oh, right.” She chuckled, “Girls’ things, huh?”

 

“Daddy! Look! The dolphins!”

 

Padme’s call snapped them out of the moment. Rey jumped up to her feet, wiped off the tears, and quickly joined the girl on the other side of the deck. Beside the boat, there was a pod of dolphins swimming alongside them, jumping and whistling a welcome to the visitors.

 

“This is so cool!” Padme danced on her toes, pointing at the pod.

 

“They’re beautiful!” Rey joined in her excitement, “That one jumped really high! Hey, do you want a picture with them? Let’s take a picture!”

 

“Okay!”

 

Ben couldn’t help chuckling as he saw how excited they were. Rey fumbled with her phone before she could take a picture of the dolphins, Padme and herself.

 

“Daddy, come here! Let’s take a selfie.” Padme called.

 

“Let me take a photo of you two first,” He pulled out his own phone. Rey circled her arm around the girls waist as they got closer to share a frame.

 

Suddenly, there was a giant splash, and a big whale appeared behind them.

 

“Whoa!” Both girls screamed as they turned back, “What was that?! Where is it? A blue whale?”

 

“Look!” Rey pointed to the water, where the whale resurfaced again, breathing for air, “It’s huge!”

 

“You are quite lucky today,” the sailor smiled at them, “That’s the humpback whale. I guess it’s Dany, she loves greeting the tourists. It’s just the beginning of the season, and she is here early.”

 

“I’ve never seen a real whale in the ocean before!” Rey mouth went agape in awe as she snapped a picture of the whale, that was now swimming away.

 

“Me too!” Padme said, “Daddy, did you capture it? Please tell me you have its picture in your phone.”

 

Ben was taken aback when the whale had showed up. He looked at his phone, and fortunately he had captured the moment perfectly.

 

“I did,” there were seven photos in his phone, “This is perfect! You guys looked great in these.”

 

“Lemme see,” Rey peeked at his phone, “Oh my gosh! This is so cool!”

 

“It’s so big!” Padme stared at his phone with widened eyes. The whale was in the mid air behind them in the photo, “We should have it framed at our house!”

 

“Great idea!” Rey said, “Well, unfortunately, it’s not you and your dad in this picture.”

 

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ve a photo with my best friend!” Padme swung her arms around Rey’s waist.

 

“If you want it, I can airdrop it to your phone.” Ben said with a gentle smile.

 

A shade of pink blushed across Rey’s cheeks, “Oh, that’s nice. You’re so kind. Thank you.”

 

“I bet you have a lot of sea trip photos at home.” Ben said as he waited for his phone to catch her signal.

 

“Not with the giant whale as a background,” Rey chuckled, “Thank you for making my day extra special.”

 

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a warm smile, “we still have many days to go.”

 

 

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, my beta. I love you.


End file.
